Android may soon be able to measure the distance between paired Bluetooth devices, here’s how – Times of India

Bluetooth has been an important technology for several gadgets starting from TWS earbuds to smartwatches and other wireless devices. However, there are some shortcomings of this technology, especially when it comes to location data. Such drawbacks have now been overcome with the arrival of new wireless technologies like Ultra-wideband (UWB). According to a report by Android Police, Google is working on the latest feature that will update Bluetooth technology to help it compete with these newer technologies. The tech giant is reportedly working on a new Bluetooth Distance Measurement API.

What is the Bluetooth Distance Measurement feature
As per the report, this feature was first spotted by Esper’s Mishaal Rahman. Google has also reportedly started adding the code for the same to the AOSP. The upcoming Bluetooth feature isn’t expected to be very precise with its distance measurements. However, the feature is likely to be able to tell whether a paired phone is more or less than 1 meter away from connected Bluetooth devices.
Bluetooth RSSI or Received Signal Strength Indicator will power the latest API. This feature will help Android devices to calculate the distance between their phone and connected devices. This technology might not be able to point you in the right direction for your missing headphones. However, it is speculated to tell users when they’re getting closer.

Bluetooth Distance Measurement feature on Android: Availability
Bluetooth is implemented as a Project Mainline module yet this feature is not expected to arrive in Android 13. This means that Google may start testing this functionality with Android 14. However, till then, this tech is rumoured to play a role in the use of Android’s Active Unlock API. This feature will allow Pixel Watch users to unlock their wearables based on proximity. Google demonstrated the upcoming Pixel Watch feature at CES 2023
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